What Is Art?
What is Art? Many people have different answers to this question, and there are many more questions that have yet to be answered. Art has been described as an expression of the artist’s imagination and creative capacities. In a broader sense, art is any physical, human activity including the making of art, the reception of art, and the creation of new works of art. The term art can also be used to refer to visual or performing arts, such as painting, sculpture, and music.
There are many different definitions of what is Art, but the most common are the following: Art can be defined as human creative activity with the intention of producing an artistic output, and it can be defined as the process by which this output is created. In addition, art can be defined as a form of life. The most influential philosophers on the definition of art have been Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. These two men are the most important philosophers in the history of the development of the definition of art.
In the period known as the Pre-Raphaelites, a group of artists, critics and collectors formed the First French Academy of Fine Arts. In the late eighteen hundreds, a group of French art collectors, Pierre Louis and Mademoiselle de Scudery, began collecting famous works of art. Their goal was to catalogue all of the greatest artists that had ever lived. This first academy, which later became the Academie Francaise de Scudery, would eventually become the foundation for what would become the modern Academy of Modern Art.
In the late twentieth century, American art collector Jasper Johns developed his own definition of what is Modern Art. Known as “Jackspace,” his concept of Modern Art focused on an iconoclastic rejection of the status of the artist as well as an aesthetic approach that emphasized the creation of unique visual experiences. Many critics and curators regard Johns’ theory as one with no clear delineation of what is Modern Art. However, in the United States and Europe, where he spent much of his life, his style and concepts were widely accepted and embraced. Johns preferred to collect works that exhibited his own personal sense of creativity and style rather than those that were popular and produced by more mainstream artists.
In the period known as the Post-modern period, a new generation of artists defined the boundaries of what is art. Michael Levey, John Cage, Peter Young, Jasper Johns and Peter Wilmslowe all rejected the traditionalist definitions of art. Instead, they rejected traditionalism on the basis that it was incapable of providing meaningful expression. They posited that there were in fact, basic, underlying principles that could provide the definition of beauty. These principles were then subjected to a rigorous and articulate analysis by a select group of art historians, critics and others. These individuals, together, formulated a set of definitions that are now commonly referred to as the fundamentals of modern art.
The discussion and clarification of the elementary principles of modern art can provide a starting point for an understanding of the truly great works of art. However, one of the most important aspects of this definition is the call for an independent definition by each of the contributors to the discussion. Each artist must be given a chance to present his or her ideas clearly and in a manner acceptable to other participants in the discussion. Through this ongoing dialogue, the definition of what is art can remain a living, vibrant entity that inspires and engages generations of future artists.
